Demographic transition has brought about a profound change in kinship structures, characterized, among other things, by
the generalization of grand-parenthood.As a consequence, although the “nuclear family” is the “normal household”, the
“normal family” has become the “multigenerational family”. Cultural and socioeconomic change which underlies the second
demographic transition has reinforced individualism and the residential separation of the generations, but geographical
distance among generations continuous to be rather small, what facilitates the contact among the generations. Grand-
children play in this context an important role, promoting closer and warmer relationships among parents and their adult
children. As interchanges among generations tend to flow according to a cascade model from one generation to the other,
grand-children tend to benefit from these interchanges either in an indirect way through the effects on their parents, rather
than directly. Although the profound change in family values in the last decades, family ties continues to be important for
most Spaniards and the relationship between grand-parent and grand-child play an important mediating role.

Demographic transition has brought about a profound change in kinship structures, characterized, among other things, by
the generalization of grand-parenthood.As a consequence, although the “nuclear family” is the “normal household”, the
“normal family” has become the “multigenerational family”. Cultural and socioeconomic change which underlies the second
demographic transition has reinforced individualism and the residential separation of the generations, but geographical
distance among generations continuous to be rather small, what facilitates the contact among the generations. Grand-
children play in this context an important role, promoting closer and warmer relationships among parents and their adult
children. As interchanges among generations tend to flow according to a cascade model from one generation to the other,
grand-children tend to benefit from these interchanges either in an indirect way through the effects on their parents, rather
than directly. Although the profound change in family values in the last decades, family ties continues to be important for
most Spaniards and the relationship between grand-parent and grand-child play an important mediating role.